Royalty
by 25.Angry.Mangoes
Summary: 2 Kings and 2 Queens get invited to a party. England, Hungary, Prussia, 2p! Nyo America Warning: Contains touchy subjects.
1. Chapter 1

'_I'm going to go deaf…' _A man thought as he faced the crowd, though the smile plastered on his face provided the perfect concealment of his annoyance. Events like this one were never something he was particularly fond of, and the only reason he stood in front of the crowd was because he had to. He slowly brought a finger to his mouth, holding it in front of his fake smile to signify for silence. He had never been very patient, but he tried his best to wait as the crowd slowly grew quiet. Once all was still, he lifted his hand from his mouth, letting it rest at his side. The eyes of thousands of people watched him as he spoke, filling him with a sense of pride. It was a feeling he would never get used to.

A woman looked at her reflection in the mirror, an absent-minded smile on her lips. Her mind was elsewhere, but it always was. It was something that the people that surrounded her had grown accustomed to; they knew to be patient with her, and that if they did, she would reward them handsomely. Whether her reward came in tangible items or not was always an unknown, but they would be repaid for their patience nonetheless. A soft voice broke her from her trance, and she turned her head to view the man standing next to her. He nodded to her, the action carrying an air of respect. "What is it?" She asked him politely, and he began to speak.

A man lay asleep on his couch, one arm draped over his face while the other hung off the edge of the piece of furniture. Incoherent phrases tumbled from his open mouth, and limbs twitched every so often while he slept. He wasn't exactly the picture of peace, (even if he felt like he was,) as a string of drool hung from his lips, and disheveled stark white hair stuck out in all places. His eyes flew open at the sound of a knock, though he wasn't fully alert. "Who issit?" He asked groggily, exhaustion making itself obvious in his voice. The voice didn't respond, but knocked on the door a second time, this one a bit more forceful. "I'm coming, I'm coming!" The man said after the knock quieted, his eyes narrowed just slightly. Stumbling to the door, he rested on the wall adjacent to it as he opened the door. A short man stood in front of him, and he couldn't stop a groan from sounding as the other opened his mouth in preparation to speak.

A girl sat on the edge of her bed, her head in her hands. Her slim elbows rested on her knees, forming little red marks where the bone pushed into her skin. Her gaze rested on the floor, though her dark eyes didn't register anything she saw. She didn't think anything, either; it was as if she were sleeping with her eyes open. A creamy white paper was slid under her door, but the woman paid it no attention, hardly reacting to have even seen it in the first place. The paper was a sealed envelope, the wax still fresh on the paper with the symbol of an unfamiliar kingdom pressed into the substance. It sat near her door for hours- not having been picked up until the woman shook her head lightly, sighing almost inaudibly as she stood from her bed to investigate the envelope addressed to her. Just as she picked up the thin package, her door opened.

_Author's Note: This story is going to end up having quite a few chapters, with some being longer than others. My goal is to publish 1 chapter every 1-2 days, but I am in college so I'm not sure how well I'll be able to keep that up. Be patient with me, reviews and comments will help to speed up the process._


	2. Chapter 2

The man walked away from the raised stage, and therefore away from the crowd cheering his name. He was sick of it, though he'd hardly spoken to them for 20 minutes. He planned on getting some peace and quiet in his own room, but was interrupted before he could get anywhere near it. "Hello sir!" The one who stopped him by standing directly in his path spoke in a soft, yet admirable, voice, his eyes sparkling. He looked to be about 10 years younger than the man himself, which placed him to be close to 24. "That was an amazing speech!" He opened his mouth again, bowing hastily as he talked. His senior nodded, though he didn't reply with words. "Oh!" The younger suddenly said, his volume spiking just slightly. "I have a letter for you from a nearby kingdom. It's called Bontump, though I haven't heard of it until now. Have you?" The older shook his head just slightly, holding a hand out for the letter. "Give it to me." He said curtly, his voice sharp but clear. The younger man obliged, handing an envelope to the other that was freshly sealed with red wax. He broke the seal, pulling a single sheet of paper from the envelope. "Read it out loud, will you?" The younger man was practically bouncing in excitement, rocking on his toes in anticipation. His sentence earned a glance from the other, but he read the letter out loud anyways, his voice carrying with authority. "Dear King Arthur…"

"Queen Elizabeta," The man at the woman's door began, his voice slightly timid. "I have a letter for you, and I have been instructed to deliver it to you immediately." He said simply, holding out an envelope as the woman rose from her seat at the mirror. "An envelope?" She asked curiously, taking it from the man and picking at it with long nails. "Who is it from?" She studied the symbol in the wax on its front, but didn't recognize its shape. It featured a dragon in mid flight, with a simple background and no kingdom name. "It's from Bontump, do you know where that is?" The Queen shook her head slightly, frowning as she opened the letter. "It must not be a nearby kingdom…" She said slowly as she began to read. "What does it say?" The man asked after a moment, and Elizabeta looked up at him. "It says," her eyes flew back to the paper, "Dear Queen Elizabeta, I am delighted to offer you a chance to get away…"

"I have a letter!" Came a loud voice, and the white-haired man frowned in disapproval at the volume. "Calm down, will you? I've just woken up." He returned frankly, but gestured for the man to continue. He nodded, toning down his volume just slightly out of respect. "I have a letter." He repeated, shoving a crumpled piece of paper into the hands that belonged to the head of unruly silvery hair. "I already read it. It looked important, I hope you can forgive me, my King." The man added sheepishly, though he didn't bother to bow. The King waved at him dismissively, his eyes scanning the words on the folded page. "Dear King Gilbert, I am delighted to offer you a chance to get away. A chance to leave your responsibility for one action-packed weekend…" Suddenly, he stopped reading, looking up at the man in front of him instead. All weariness in his face was gone, having been replaced with a child-like sense of curiosity. "A chance to get away?" He said enthusiastically. "Sounds like a vacation!"

The woman that appeared at the other woman's door stood silent as she watched the letter slid under it be opened by less-than-delicate nails. But her silence didn't last for long, and she spoke up about 30 seconds into the other's reading. "Will you read it out loud? I don't know what it says, or where it's from." She admitted, so the other rolled her eyes before speaking. "Dear Queen Alice," she started, her deep voice filling the small room. "I am delighted to offer you a chance to get away. A chance to leave your responsibility for one action-packed weekend. The party will be held at Black Manor, over the course of this coming weekend. Pack lightly. You will be expected to arrive before 7:00 on Friday night. Signed, Your Host." Queen Alice paused for a moment, her eyes narrowing in confusion. "A party…?" She said slowly, looking to the other woman in the doorway. "I'm going. I expect you will take care of things while I'm out, yes?" The woman nodded firmly. "I will, my Queen."


	3. Chapter 3

Standing outside of Black Manor, King Arthur frowned. "This doesn't look like a party…" He slowly said to himself, clutching the bags that held his clothing for the weekend tightly. He had traded his normally magnificent green robes for more simple clothes, consisting of brown pants, a cream button down shirt, and a forest green vest on top. The outfit complimented his strikingly green eyes and blonde hair, though it didn't compare to the royal attire he had long gotten used to. Arthur narrowed his eyes as he thought of the trip. Who else would be there? Would the other guests get along with him? He sincerely doubted that, especially as he spotted another guest arrive.

Queen Elizabeta walked to the door of Black Manor at a leisurely pace, too focused on the building itself to notice the person already there. He came into her focus just as she was about to run into him, but his shout in anger stopped her just in time. "What is wrong with you?" He asked her, and she took a moment to survey his figure. He wore dull colors and his eyebrows were way too thick, taking up almost half of his face as they narrowed against his eyes. His arms were crossed over his narrow chest, though his small frame made his look scrawny, contrasting with the intimidating look his posture was trying to pull off. His eyes were his most striking feature, almost glowing green as they looked angrily at Elizabeta. She huffed, suddenly self conscious of those eyes. She hadn't dressed up for the getaway, choosing to wear a simple red dress with white trim and white stockings. Her long, brown hair was held up with a red bow, and her matching brown eyes were calm as she looked back at the other. '_Is he a King?' _She thought to herself, but even her thoughts were interrupted by a loud shout coming from behind her.

King Gilbert always struggled with punctuality. He was hardly ever on time for anything, though it was one of the reasons his people loved and supported him. They claimed that it showed his character, and made him seem more approachable. He certainly couldn't argue with that. But he couldn't help but feel a bit embarrassed as he arrived to Black Manor at 7:15, when the invitation to the party specifically said to arrive before 7:00. Two people stood outside of the ornate building, but they didn't appear to be conversing, so Gilbert shouted a loud "Hello!" to catch their attention. Both heads turned towards him, one belonging to a man, and the other to a woman. He immediately felt out of place amongst the both of them; they were dressed mostly casually and looked to be common folk, though the way they held their stature said otherwise. Gilbert, on the other hand, was an albino man, so his stark white hair, blood red eyes, and unusually pale skin made him stand out no matter what he was wearing. But his outfit certainly didn't help the situation; he figured that he might as well show his status among the other guests at the party, so he dressed like a king should- in deep purple robes made of soft satin that spilled over his feet and onto the floor, each hem trimmed in a golden silk, and a solid gold crown sat on top of his head. The crown had a total of ten points- seven in a circle to the cides and around the back of his head, and an especially ornate set of three points in the front, each one bearing a multitude of purple jewels. In short, the King stood our substantially from the other two already there. The other man gave him a weird look, but he paid it no attention, choosing instead to focus on another guest arriving, putting away some of the anxiety that came with being late. At least he wasn't the only late one.

A soft groan escaped Queen Alice's lips as she viewed the place of the 'party.' The guests that were already standing out front looked boring, with the small exception to the man that was way over dressed. Rolling her eyes, Alice stepped onto the walkway leading to the house, careful not to trip in her sleek, black high heels. She seemed to be the only one dressed for a party; she wore a tight black dress that barely reached her thighs and bore no straps, and her arms were covered in studded bracelets trailing up both of them. A black choker hung from her neck, and the high heels completed the outfit. Her maroon eyes scanned the other people there as she brushed her wavy red hair out of her face; they did, indeed, look boring.


	4. Chapter 4

"Well I guess since we're all here, we should introduce ourselves, right?" The girl in red spoke up, making Arthur look her way. He opened his mouth to reply as his eyes narrowed but before any sound came out, someone else spoke up instead. "What?" A woman's voice said curtly. She wore a black, skimpy dress and tall heels. The outfit gave off a 'trying too hard' feel, but the woman's face showcased a 'not trying hard enough' look. Her hair was snarled and unkempt, her eyes were racooned with smudges of black makeup, and her eyes themselves were wide and bloodshot. "What do you mean "all of us are here?" How do you know?" The remark had a bite to it, and the woman in red flinched slightly from it. "The invitation said there would be four guests…" She replied slowly, as though she were being cautious of what the other might say. "Where did it say that?" Arthur suddenly spoke up, his curiosity sparked. "On the back." Red Dress replied, confidence making itself apparent in her voice. "What? That's not what mine said."

'_That's not what his said? What does that even mean?' _Elizabeta thought, gazing at the man in dull colors in confusion. "Then what did yours say?" She asked, and he unfolded his arms, letting them fall at his sides. "It said that we are to retire to our sleeping chambers at or before midnight, and to rise for breakfast no later than 9 AM." He said formally, and Elizabeta began to wonder if all four of them were Kings and Queens. The albino man obviously was one, judging by his outfit, but she wasn't sure about the other two. However, the one in green sounded like a royal when he spoke, so there was a chance that the four of them were all royals. "The back of mind said neither of those." The other woman standing with them interrupted Elizabeta's train of thought with her sentence, so she shook her head to clear it. "It said we'd be here until Tuesday, so four days." Her voice came out in a quick snap. "I figured everyone's said that, it helped me to pack." She then shrugged. "But I guess not." "What did yours say?" Elizabeta looked to the man that had yet to speak up. He made a weird face before speaking. "Honestly," he started, "I didn't even look at the back of the note."

The girl in black snickered at Gilbert's response to the other girl's question, but the other two guests obviously weren't amused. He ignored their looks though, shrugging nonchalantly. "I didn't know the back would have anything written on it." Was his excuse. The other man with them groaned, his eyes rolling upwards. "I've spent less than ten minutes with you and I already don't like you." He said frankly. Gilbert only shrugged again. "Like I care." He responded, which only made the other huff again. "If you," Gilbert pointed to the girl in the red dress, "are right, and there are only four of us total, then we should introduce ourselves, right? I'm already sick of referring to you guys as "you" and "you."" He added with a small smile. The girl nodded, standing up a bit straighter. "I'll start." She said simply. "I am Queen Elizabeta of Landancia, but you can just call me Elizabeta. I'm Hungarian." Her voice was prideful, and she pointed to the man in green with unusually thick eyebrows. "Your turn." He nodded, putting a graceful hand over his chest. "I am King Arthur. I'm English, and I rule over Oceania." His voice was even more prideful than Elizabeta's, but it didn't sound completely sincere. "I'll go next." The deep voice came from the woman in black. "I guess all four of us are Kings or Queens, huh? The name's Queen Alice, of Animalia. I'm an American." She sounded bored. "Last but certainly not least, me." Gilbert spoke up. "I'm King Gilbert, of Eurasia. I'm German. Call me Gil." He winked at the other three. "And yes, I'm albino."

No wonder the guy had white hair, he was albino. It made sense. But even so, albino was not a good look on him. At least it wasn't according to Alice. "Alright. Should we go inside, then?" She spoke up, but started off towards the building without waiting for an answer. She strutted to the door, quickly opening it and letting it fall closed behind her. "Wait a second!" Gilbert called from somewhere over her shoulder, jogging to catch up. "I think we should all go in at the same time. You've never been here, have you?" She shook her head at the sentence. "I already asked if the other two have, and they haven't either. So we don't know what to expect, right?" Alice scoffed. "What does it matter that we don't know what to expect? It's a freaking Manor. There isn't much variation between every other Manor, so what's the point?" The German shrugged. "I just think we should all arrive at the same time." She blatantly ignored him, walking inside without the other three.

_Author's Note: Major brownie points to anyone who can spot the /very/ subtle reference._


	5. Chapter 5

The Manor was absolutely incredible. The second Arthur stepped inside of it, he was awed. His feet immediately led him to the right, and into a room at the end of a long hallway. One look around the room revealed it to be a library; one with thousands upon thousands of books from all over the world. The books spanned throughout time, some dating to be hundreds of years old, and others having been so new, they had yet to come to stores. Arthur's jaw dropped open at the sight, his head hanging backwards so that his eyes gazed at the ceiling of the giant circular room. A massive chandelier hung from the ceiling, but its yellow lights illuminated the room dimly, so that the farthest reaches of the room were shadowed in darkness. Shelves of books reached for the ceiling, which stopped just shy of 50 feet. Arthur slowly walked around the edge of the room, letting his hand trail along the worn spines of the books as he did so. The room was so spectacular, it was almost overwhelming.

Elizabeta watched as Arthur headed for the right side of Black Manor, looking like he was on a mission. She decided to go the opposite way, easily finding a door just off to the side of the main entrance and the hallway it connected to. The room she entered was one used for music, and her eyes widened at it's elaborate setup. A drum set sat in one of the corners of the room, and another corner featured a cello, violin, vass, and viola. Microphones and music stands sat near the door, which was decorated in music staffs that ran off onto the wall to the left. But the best part of the room sat in its center. A massive grand piano with the lid lifted laid under a sparkling white chandelier, its elegant white surface shimmering under the light. Elizabeta slowly opened the cover over the keys, gazing at the beautiful ivory they were made of. She struck one of the keys, and the sound it produced bounced off the walls, ringing clearly in her ears. The room was so spectacular, it was almost overwhelming.

Gilbert watched as the other three people that would be staying at Black Manor turned off the main corridor and disappeared into various rooms. He chose to go straight down the hallway and towards a large set of double doors at the end of it- the doors looked heavy and Gilbert assumed they held something special behind them. He pushed one open- his suspicions were correct, they were extremely heavy- and stepped inside the room, letting the door close behind him. The room he entered was completely void of furniture- in fact, the only thing that touched its floors were Gilbert's own feet. The room was a sort of dome shape, with the ceiling cut up into triangular sections that overlapped each other. The walls were laden with gold, and featured paintings of people dancing over its floors. Gilbert gingerly touched the wall, pushing a button hidden amongst one of the many paintings that his finger traced over. The triangles of the ceiling shifted to the right with the press of the button, and began to spin clockwise as they retreated into the walls themselves, revealing the blue sky overhead. The room was so spectacular, it was almost overwhelming.

Alice took heavy steps into the Manor, wandering throughout the hallway until she found a staircase that headed into the basement. Her heels clicked on the stairs as she walked down it, passing about 40 steps that slowly spiraled before reaching the bottom. A hallway stretched from the stairs, with doors that led both left and right from it. She opened a random door on the left, walked into the room, and immediately ignored the door behind her. The room that greeted her had smooth oak floors, and marching walls that were garnished with paintings depicting various hunters. Racks from many different forms of wildlife hung from the wall space above the paintings, and giant leather couches sat towards the middle of the room. A fireplace to the right of the door gave off the room's only light, it's surface made of polished marble. A pile of wood sat unused by its mouth. Opposite of the fireplace was a bar with stools perched at a high counter. Bottles filled with various kinds of whiskey and bourbon sat on shelves on the wall, while glasses to hold the liquid lined the edge of the counter. Glass ashtrays paired with gilded lighters sat all over the furniture and gave the room its finishing touch. Alice grabbed a pipe from a counter holding a lighter and tray, then proceeded to stuff and light it before sticking it into her mouth. The room was so spectacular, it was almost overwhelming.


	6. Chapter 6

Arthur had picked a book off its shelf and began to read it at one of the tables that rested in the middle of the room, surrounded by shelves and shelves of other books as he did so. His head rested in his hand as he read, and the pointer finger of his other hand traced the words on the pages of the book as he silently mouthed the words while his eyes scanned them. The sound of a bell broke his peace, his head snapping at attention to the door, where it sounded like the noise had come from. Sure enough, a small bell rang in its corner, one among many that were there. A plaque under the bell read "Dinner," so Arthur stood up and left the library in search for the dining hall.

Elizabeta sat on the bench to the piano, graceful fingers flying over the keys as they played Chopin's Nocturne Op. 9 No. 2. Her head bobbed along to the music, her eyes closed as she took in the crisp sound the instrument produced. Her foot tapped along to the beat of the song, quietly keeping time while she played easily, as if she knew the song well enough to play in her sleep. A sharp ring of a bell broke her concentration, and the music stopped immediately, being replaced with the call of the bell. She spotted it hanging near the door, shaking back and forth as it rung. A sign beneath the bell read "Dinner," so, with a groan, she stood from the piano, closing the lid over the keys.

Gilbert chose a particular painting on the wall of the ballroom to study, and posed himself so that he mimicked the positions of the dancers in the painting. He envisioned another dancer in his arms, and swept her across the floor, counting the steps to himself. He spun his partner and dipped her, stepping carefully to avoid her toes, but keeping the beat to the fast song he set their dance to. She smiled back at him as he twisted her away from him, then came behind her to wrap his arms around her waist as they swayed along to the song. He froze at the sound of a bell, and the small arms wrapped around his own vanished into the air. The golden bell that rang near the door was well hidden against the wall- even while it shook, Gilbert could hardly see it. He walked towards the source of the noise to find the word "Dinner" plastered under it. Taking one last glance around the room, he opened the door, and left.

Alice sat on the arm of one of the couches, taking long drags from the pipe and letting the white smoke envelope her. It curled in rings above her head, then vanished as it touched the low ceiling of the small room. A glass of whiskey was gripped in her hand, and one of her legs hung over the other. The sweet smell of smoke filled her senses, and her eyes were half closed. A small smile tugged on her lips, but it vanished the second the sound of a bell ruined the atmosphere. Her eyes flew open, zeroing in on the tiny instrument that could fill the entire room with its repetitive drone. She quickly walked to the thing, putting a hand around it to still it's sporadic shaking. A raised plaque rested on the wall under her wrist, so she moved it to read the word "Dinner." "Good thing I'm hungry…" She muttered to herself before kicking the door open.


	7. Chapter 7

The smell of smoked ham hit Arthur's nose immediately upon finding the dining room, which he found to be at the end of a hallway that branched from the main corridor. A wide array of food was set on a long table in the center of the room, the food ranging from scones to burgers to stew to sausages. Everything smelled wonderful, and Arthur took a seat at the head of the table where one of the four plates available sat and immediately reached for the scones. He piled three onto his plate, and spread butter and strawberry jam on them before biting into one. A satisfied hum escaped his throat as he ate the pastry, his eyes closing in delight. "Just because you act privileged doesn't mean we aren't, prick." A voice snapped, causing his eyes to open and narrow. "Hey." A hand entered his vision, snapping close to his face. "I'm talking to you." The British man turned his head to view Alice leaning over the table towards him. "What gives you the right to get the head of the table? Don't you think that spot belongs to someone deserving?" She continued to talk, her voice tough. "Excuse me?" Arthur remarked, pushing his chair away from the table to stand. "Did you just say that I'm not deserving of the head?" Alice smirked. "Yeah, I did." She said in a cocky voice, pressing a finger to Arthur's chest. "What are you gonna do about it?" Her voice rose in a mocking tone, while Arthur growled lowly. "Man, this food looks good…" A dreamy voice interrupted the building tension between the two, and both heads twisted to view Gilbert entering the room. His eyes were wide, and he practically drooled as they ran over the arrangement of food. "Are we ready to eat, then?" A fourth voice said, this one belonging to Elizabeta. Arthur looked at the two with a hint of a scowl, seating himself at the head of the table again. "I'm ready when you are." Elizabeta nodded, sitting to Arthur's left. Gilbert sat on his right, and Alice went to the other head of the table. "You're far away." Gilbert commented lightly, and she shrugged. "I don't care. I won't let him be the only one of importance here." She responded, gesturing rudely to Arthur. He rolled his eyes. "Do what you wish."

Elizabeta could easily feel the tension growing in the dining hall as Arthur and Alice glared at each other from each end of the table. Arthur would growl every couple of minutes in between bites of his food, and Alice would return the growls with a snarl of her own. The food was good, but Elizabeta could hardly focus on it with her attention torn between the two problematic rulers. Gilbert seemed to be in his own world; he was bent over his plate of various cheeses and sausages and seemed to be enthralled with the food, muttering various exclamations of obvious content. Elizabeta made the subconscious decision to interrupt the tension herself, clearing her throat as she sat up a little straighter. "So," two heads turned towards her, "I was thinking that we should get to know a little more about each other, right? We will be spending the next four nights together, after all." Arthur nodded slowly. "What would you like to know?" He asked calmly, as if his mood had turned a complete 180° on them. Elizabeta smiled softly. "First, I want to know how old you all are. I'm 36." She said, nodding to Arthur to go next. "Alright, I'm 34." He said simply. "You're all old." Came Alice's snide remark. "I'm barely 29." At this, Gilbert's eyes flew up from his plate, gazing at Alice in shock. "You're only 29? How are you a Queen, then?" She smirked. "Early death of the two before me." She said quickly, though her words carried a sinister air. Gilbert shook his head. "I'm 40, more than ten years older than you, and have only been King for two of those." He shook his head a second time. "Which brings me to my next question." Elizabeta spoke up, interrupting Alice's open mouth. "I have been Queen for four years, and Gilbert for two. What about you two?" Alice shrugged. "I lost count of the months, but it's almost been a year now." Arthur scoffed at that. "You're all fairly new rulers, huh?" He received three nods. "I've been King of Oceania for 16 years."

Gilbert gasped sharply. "16 years?! That means you became King when you were 18, how is that possible?" Arthur was by far the most experienced of the four, having been King for eight times as long as Gilbert was. "My parents died young." Arthur said simply, but one look at his face said that he didn't want to say any more on the subject. "I'm sorry." Elizabeta said solemnly, but Arthur just scoffed. "I wasn't close to them." Elizabeta nodded. "I'm changing the subject now. What is your favorite animal and why?" "That's easy." Gilbert said immediately, his eyes sparkling. "Chicks. They're innocent and cute, and I have a pet chick back at my palace. His name is Gilbird." He smiled fondly. "I've raised him since he was an egg." Alice groaned. "Wow, how sappy. My favorite animal is a wolverine, because they're tough. Nobody ever messes with a wolverine without paying for it." This earned a shudder from Elizabeta. "Is this all animals, or just real ones?" Arthur intervened, leaning his elbows on the table. Elizabeta tilted her head. "What?" "My favorite animal isn't real. So do you want that answer, or the one that is a real animal?" Elizabeta shrugged. "Both." "Okay, then my favorite animal is a unicorn. They're strong, yet majestic. The fact that they're magic is an added bonus. My favorite real animal would be a cat because they're independent and fierce yet soft at the same time." Elizabeta nodded, smiling. "My favorite would be a dog." "Why a dog?" Arthur asked, his voice laced with obvious disgust. Elizabeta laughed. "They're loyal, sweet, and energetic. What more do you need?" Gilbert smiled. "That reminds me of Gilbird, he's as loyal as it gets. He was upset when I left him to come here…" "How does a bird get upset when you leave? It's a bird." Alice hugged. "He has feelings!" Gilbert all but shouted. "Okay, okay, next question. What is your favorite thing in the whole world?" Elizabeta narrowed her eyes as she spoke, as if she dared anyone to start a fight. "My baseball bat." Alice said immediately, and Arthur frowned. "Why the bloody hell would your favorite thing be a baseball bat?" He snapped. "I've tricked it out to make it a sort of medieval torture device, so it's got jagged nails and shards of glass embedded into its end, and I'm particularly proud of the thing." She said with a grin. "Okay…" Elizabeta said slowly. "That's… Great. My favorite thing is my mom. We've always been close." Gilbert nodded. "My favorite thing is definitely myself. There is nobody as awesome as me!" He shouted the last sentence, pumping a fist into the air as he did so. Arthur rolled his eyes. "Conceited, much?" He growled. "My favorite thing is magic."

Arthur sounded gay. He was into magic and unicorns, and that was just about as dumb as it got. "Gross." Alice retorted to his admission, shaking her head. "Are you supposed to be some kind of fairy or something?" Arthur gave her a weird face before shaking his head vehemently. "No! You're being ridiculous!" He stuttered as he spat out the sentence, and Alice snickered. "Uh huh. Whatever." "Next question," Elizabeta seemed to have a knack for ruining the fun, "and I'll make this the last one- if you were stuck on an island with food and water for 30 days and could only bring one thing with you, what would it be and why?" She smiled to herself as if she was satisfied with her final question. "I'd bring another person. Preferably my best friend. I value my sanity too much to go alone." Arthur said it so quickly, it almost cut off the end of Elizabeta's question. It made Alice wonder if he had the answer prepared, like he'd been asked a similar question before. "I would bring Gilbird, he would freak if I left him for a month." Gilbert said seriously. Alice rolled her eyes, beginning to realize that all three of the others were complete wackjobs. "I would bring some matches so I'd always be warm." Elizabeta said after a moment's pause. "And I would bring a machete, so I could chop trees and build a freaking sick shelter." Alice said resolutely. "Huh. Arthur, if you could describe each of us, including yourself, in one word, what would it be?" Elizabeta nodded to the man as she spoke to him. "I thought you said the other one would be the last question." He growled, and she shrugged. "Okay… Elizabeta is annoying, Gilbert is loud, Alice is a brat, and I'm a gentleman." He said quickly. Alice exchanged a look with Elizabeta; she didn't appreciate being called a brat, and Arthur was far from a gentleman. "Okay, your turn, Alice." Elizabeta nodded to her that time. "Arthur is a prick, Elizabeta is dull, Gilbert is ugly, and I'm vicious." Gilbert shouted at his insult, then nodded once Alice called herself vicious. "I'll go next!" He continued to shout. "Arthur is grumpy, Elizabeta is beautiful, Alice is rude, and I'm awesome." He winked towards Elizabeta. "And now it's your turn." She blushed lightly, nodding. "Alright, Arthur is hot-headed, Alice is blunt, Gilbert is fun, and I'm honest." Arthur nodded. "I would agree. Saying I'm hot-headed is much better than calling me a prick." He glared at Alice as he spoke. "Shut up." She mumbled, but he wasn't listening. He had turned his attention to a case sitting in the middle of the table, studying it as if he already knew what was inside. "Hey," he said suddenly, "anyone up for poker?"


	8. Chapter 8

Arthur opened the case form the middle of the dining table, knowing that it would be filled with multicolored poker chips and decks of cards. He played enough of the game to recognize the case it was carried in the moment he saw it. "How much are we betting?" He asked the other three, all of which had agreed to play. Gilbert shrugged. "Dude, I've got so much money to blow Any bet is good with me." Alice nodded. "I second that." "I don't! You can't just waste money on poker games!" Elizabeta said fretfully, her mouth hanging open. Arthur snickered. "Alright, then you pick the bet amount, Miss Stingy." Elizabeta seemed to think about the choice, then nodded resolutely, ignoring Arthur's insult. "The most I'll do is $500." Arthur grinned. "Then we'll do $600. You guys want to play Texas Hold 'Em or Blackjack?" "I didn't say $600." Elizabeta intervened. "I know. You'll play though." He offered her a smug smile that matched his cocky voice. "Whatever." "Blackjack or Texas?" Arthur asked again, turning his gaze to all three of them. "Texas." Alice said. "Blackjack." Elizabeta added, though her voice was soft. "Texas it is." Gilbert confirmed with a grin. "Sorry Elizabeta!" Though he apologized, it was far from sincere. Arthur dealt the cards.

Elizabeta had only played poker once, and that was Blackjack, not whatever game they had started to play. She was dealt two cards, and she studied them carefully, memorizing the 7 of hearts and the Jack of spades. Arthur turned to Elizabeta. "Start the bet." He said, giving her a pile of red, green, blue, white, and black circles. "Just so we're all on the same page, reds are worth $2, blues are $5, whites are $20, greens are $50, and blacks are $100. All of you should have three black, four green, four white, two blue, and five red chips, totaling $600. Are we clear?" Elizabeta nodded, as well as Alice and Gilbert. "Then Elizabeta, start the bet." Elizabeta hesitantly put two red circles into the middle of the table, and both Alice, who had moved to sit on Gilbert's other side, and Gilbert mimicked the action. Arthur turned over a card and layed it in the center, folding his arms. It was the 7 of clubs. '_I have two 7's, I think that's good…' _Elizabeta thought nervously. '_And now I bet again, right…?' _Arthur's expectant face said that she was to bet again, so she put a blue circle into the middle. Gilbert had been smiling for much of the time she had known him, but now that he was playing the game, his face was still as stone. Alice had the same face, but Elizabeta was convinced that she looked incredibly confused. Both of the others put one of their blue chips into the middle. Arthur flipped a second card over: the Ace of diamonds.

Gilbert fought to keep his eyes from widening. He held the Ace of clubs and the Ace of spades in his hands, and the Ace that was just flipped meant his hand was amazing. He watched as Elizabeta hesitantly pushed her other blue chip to the middle, and Alice did the same. '_Alice isn't confident in her hand, and Elizabeta has no clue how to play. I've got this in the bag.' _He thought confidently, almost grinning to himself. Instead of putting his last blue chip into the pile, he shoved two white chips into it. '_Time to scare the cowards away…' _Elizabeta looked at the two white chips for a while before taking her one blue back, only to replace it with two white. Alice immediately did the same. The next card turned was the 2 of diamonds, which didn't help Gilbert in the slightest, but someone making a straight from the two cards was highly unlikely at that point, so when Elizabeta passed on betting, he put another white chip in. '_Now she can either match the bet or fold, let's see how confident she really is…' _He thought with an invisible smirk. Elizabeta sighed softly before putting another of her white chips in, and Alice glanced at Gilbert before throwing two of her white chips in. Both Gilbert and Elizabeta contributed the second chip to the rapidly growing pot, and Arthur turned the next card.

Alice almost let a groan slip out of her lips, but she caught it in time. '_The Ace of hearts does not help me at all!' _Her mind screamed, and she looked at her 8 of hearts and 3 of diamonds for what seemed like the millionth time, as if they would change the more she looked at them. '_I can't make a single thing with my hand… Time to bluff my way to victory.' _When her turn to bet came, she placed a black chip into the center. Elizabeta's eyes went wide, and she shook her head. "I'm out." She said, placing her cards down face-up. Her pair of 7's would've beat Alice's hand, if only she hadn't chickened out. Gilbert, however, matched her bet with the same face he wore the entire game. '_I can't read him at all…' _Alice thought frustratedly, biting the inside of her cheek. Arthur turned over the final card, revealing it to be the 4 of hearts. Alice pushed a green chip into the middle, but took it back as Gilbert dropped his remaining two black chips into the middle of the table. Alice closed her eyes briefly before doing the same, then turned her cards over. Gilbert grinned smugly. "Your bluff failed." He commented before showing the other two aces to be in his hand. "Gilbert wins the pot with four of a kind Aces." Arthur said calmly, letting Gilbert take the chips as he collected the cards.


	9. Chapter 9

Arthur grinned to himself. "We should play a round of poker each night, with a different dealer every time. Four nights, four dealers." He suggested, and Gilbert, who had won big, nodded enthusiastically. "Sounds great!" Alice glared at him. "Don't act so happy, you freaking gloat." She growled, evidently not happy with the game's turnout. She lost the most, thanks to her tough pride. Elizabeta, who didn't know how to play, had lost, but not nearly as much as Alice had. Arthur beckoned to Elizabeta, leaning to her to whisper. "Tonight I'll give you a little lesson on how to play, alright?" He suggested, and she nodded gratefully. "Thank you." She said simply, walking away. "I'm going to find my room." Arthur announced to the others, grabbing hold of his luggage and exiting the dining hall.

Elizabeta watched as Arthur left the dining hall, glancing back at the other two who still occupied the room with her. "We should probably be finding our rooms too, right? But I don't know how we expect to determine who's who's." She said, frowning lightly. Gilbert laughed. "That's easy. Rock, paper, scissors! It's the most fair way to decide anything. We'll give up the rooms on a first come, first serve basis, and whoever wins in rock, paper, scissors first is free to find a room. Do we have a deal?" Elizabeta nodded, along with Alice. "Good. We'll do a three-way game." The three got into a circle to throw their choices, and Elizabeta won immediately. "See you in the morning." She said over her shoulder as she headed for the door.

Gilbert glanced at Alice as they stood alone in the dining hall. "I'm going to kick your butt, and you're going to end up with the worst room, you know that?" He said teasingly, grinning at her frowning features. She just scoffed back at him. "Over my dead body." She held out her closed fist, and the two battled in the classic game, each throwing the same object multiple times until Gilbert beat her rock with his paper. "I told you I would win!" He said, smiling. "It's hard to beat a King, you know." She crossed her arms. "I'm a Queen myself, that isn't good enough for you?" Her voice volume had risen until she was almost shouting. Gilbert held up his palms in mock defeat. "Woah, woah, calm down. I'm joking." He said quickly, though he sounded annoyed. "There's really no need to throw a hissy fit over every freaking thing." He groaned, shaking his head. "I'm out of here." Turning around, Gilbert opened the door.

'_Last choice of a room thanks to his stupid game…' _Alice thought to herself as she slouched out of the dining hall after giving Gilbert what she thought was an adequate amount of time to find a bedroom for himself. She just hoped that she would find a good enough room soon; she was exhausted, and ready for sleep. She wandered the countless amount of hallways in the Manor, glancing into random rooms every once in a while to see if they had a bed. After about 20 minutes of searching with no luck, she sat on the bottom step of a grand staircase that sat right in front of the dining hall- without realizing it, she had been walking in circles the whole time. After sitting for about five minutes, she got back up with a soft groan, wandering a hallway she had yet to explore. Her hand rested on the knob of the door closest to her.


	10. Chapter 10

Arthur found a room fairly easy that he was pleased with, and he immediately collapsed onto the worn, forest green couch that sat in the back of it. Its buttons were a soft gold, contrasting with the green. They laid over the back and bottom cushions of the piece of furniture, while the edges of the arms were fastened with golden metal vines that crawled up from where the floor met the couch and ended just before the tips of the arms. Arthur sprawled over it so that one leg was on the floor, while the other was propped up onto the couch. His elbow rested on an arm, supporting his head, and the other arm draped over the back of the couch. He stayed like this for a while before going to unpack his suitcase. Most of its contents weren't of importance, but that fact changed when he reached into a pocket hidden inside the bag and pulled out what looked like the handle of a sword. He swung the thing while pressing a small button, and a full length sword instantly came out of the handle. Its blade shined in the moonlight that shone through the window. A smile graced his lips, but the weapon looked to be incredibly dangerous.

Elizabeta smiled to herself as she found a room quickly, gazing around it's simple, yet impressive nature. Her eyes were immediately drawn to a desk in the corner of the room- it was made of smooth mahogany, its surface so shiny she could almost see her reflection in it. Drawers lined its edges, and pipes rose up behind it, as if it were an organ that were missing its keys. A short bench sat under it, its feet curled at the edges and turned into the feet of an animal. Elizabeta pulled the bench out, sitting on it and placing both of her arms on its surface so that she could rest one arm in the crook of the other elbow. Her ankles crossed under the bench, hooking one of her feet on a leg of the bench. She closed her eyes, resting for about an hour before slowly getting up to unpack her things. She had packed lightly, filling only half of the suitcase she brought. It only took a few minutes to unpack, and the last thing she took out of the bag was a small dagger that was strapped to the side of the bag. It was safely sheathed, and less than a foot long, but the moment Elizabeta removed the sheath, its sharp tip glistened ominously. A smile graced her lips, but the weapon looked to be incredibly dangerous.

Gilbert ran to find a bedroom as soon as he could, taking full advantage of the head start he knew Alice would give him. His legs carried him to a room that was filled with a gigantic bed, one that featured a tall purple canopy above it, being held up with silver posts that rested at each of the bed's four corners. Silver tassels hung from the fabric of the canopy, and the comforter was threaded with elaborate silver designs. Gilbert immediately flopped face-down onto the bed, both of his hands hanging off of its edges and his feet digging into the bed's soft mattress. He breathed softly, starting to snore almost immediately. Sleeping was one of Gilbert's favorite pastimes, and he slept for multiple hours. When he woke, he groggily made his way to his suitcase, pulling clothes out of it and throwing them on the floor. Eventually, he found a spotless revolver, one that shone brightly as he picked it up from the bottom of his bag. It fit in his hand naturally, and he opened the magazine, checking to make sure that it was loaded. Satisfied that it was, he set it back down, crossing his arms in approval. A smile graced his lips, but the weapon looked to be incredibly dangerous.

Alice hurriedly walked about the Manor, in search of a magnificent room. She opened every door she passed, quickly scanned the room inside, then moved on to the next, dissatisfied with whatever she found. That was the case until she came across a door hidden within the maze of hallways she had wandered, a door that could be seen from the dining hall, but only if they knew what they were looking for. Walking inside the room, her yes immediately moved to a mirror opposite the door that covered more than half of the wall it occupied. Its surface was pristine- clear of any spots caused by fingerprints, water, or dust. It reflected the room in front of it so clearly that it looked more like a window to another room, rather than a simple mirror. But the frame that held it was far from simple. It was bronze, and featured grape vines that crawled off the raised surface and onto the wall it hung on. Alice spent multiple long minutes studying its frame and the images embedded into it, her lip held in between teeth and her arms crossed loosely in front of her chest. After staring at her reflection with a blank expression, she walked away from the mirror, unpacking her things. The last thing she pulled out of her suitcase was a long, wooden baseball bat. Its end was embedded with shards of glass and metal nails, just as she had described it earlier. She held the thing in her hands, watching the way the glass caught and reflected the small section of sun that streamed in through the window. A smile graced her lips, but the weapon looked to be incredibly dangerous.

_Author's Note: I'm sorry that the story has taken this long to get into full swing, but I promise that it won't be so slow from here on out. I needed certain things established before the main plot could move forward, so even though the previous chapters might seem boring or unnecessary, they are there for a reason. Thank you for sticking with the story so far! Any comment or review would be greatly appreciated._


	11. Chapter 11

The night passed by peacefully, the rulers fast asleep in their beds. Calm dreams danced above their heads, enticing tired brains to chase their promises of excitement. One of the four dreams shattered with an almost invisible touch, and eyes flew open with the absence of the peace the dream brought. Fear filled the ruler's room, and the painful thrum of a heart pounded in their ears. But nobody else heard a thing.

_Author's Note: I know it's short, and I know that it isn't anywhere near the format the previous chapters have all been in. But it's incredibly important that this part of the story is by itself, and is structured the way it is. You'll see why later... To make up for its lack in length, I will be posting two chapters today. Prepare yourself for what's to come...…._


	12. Chapter 12

Arthur rose from his bed fairly early, dressed into an almost identical outfit as the one he had the day before, and wandered to the dining room in search of food for breakfast. He was the first one there, and successfully found a mug and package of tea leaves. He made the tea in a matter of minutes, then sat at the long table to slowly sip the piping beverage. Elizabeta joined him soon after, wearing a simple red and orange dress with an off white apron on top. Arthur waved slowly, greeting her with a simple "morning." She smiled slightly, returning his greeting. "Did you sleep well?" Arthur only nodded. Elizabeta looked away, looking like she was thinking of something else to say to break the silence, but she didn't open her mouth again until a couple minutes later. "I forgot to thank you." She said suddenly, looking calmly into Arthur's eyes. He tilted his head just slightly, looking perplexed. "For what?" "Teaching me the game yesterday." She looked at the floor, her expression embarrassed. Arthur snickered, remembering that she had the same look on her face when he visited her room after finding his own the night before. He had promised her that he'd teach her the rules to Texas Hold 'Em, and he did so relatively easily, as she had picked up on what to do quickly. "You're welcome." Was his response, and the two of them fell silent once again. A little while later, Alice dragged herself into the dining area, her eyes dull and her hair even messier than it had been the day before. '_She looks like trash…' _Arthur silently mused as he gazed at the girl that still seemed to be asleep. She paid neither of the other guests any attention as she walked straight to the cupboards, searching them for some sort of sustenance. She pulled a bag of coffee grounds out of one of the storage spaces and made herself a cup before sitting at the table. She hunched over the warm liquid, holding it under her face as she stared into its brown surface. "So the only one who hasn't woken up is Gilbert, then?" Elizabeta asked cautiously, looking around the small group of people. Arthur nodded. "Yeah." He said simply, not bothering to aid in her efforts at getting a conversation started. It was still early, and he had yet to drink his tea. It was silent for the next hour or so, and the time passage brought no sign of Gilbert. It was still early, but Elizabeta's facial expression slowly turned from bored to worried. "Gilbert's okay, right?" She said after a while, anxiety lacing her voice. She gave off no sign of trying to hide her concern. Arthur looked at her blankly. "I'm sure he's fine." He said with an eye roll. "I don't get why you're so worried about him."

How could Arthur not worry? The four of them were in an area they'd never been, sleeping amongst strangers in a palace they'd never even seen, let alone one they were used to. Who knew if Gilbert was a sleepwalker- he could've walked right out of the house. And if he hadn't, anything could've happened during the night. So of course Elizabeta was worried, she had a right to be! "I think we should look for him." She stated, crossing her arms confidently. "I want to make sure that he's okay." Arthur scoffed, and one look in Alice's direction revealed that she still wasn't fully awake, and definitely wasn't paying attention. "What do you think could've happened to him? If you want to spend time searching for his butt only to find that he's still asleep, then be my guest. But I won't be wasting my time joining you." His sentence was smug, as if he was fully convinced that the German was asleep, like he knew that it was a fact. But Elizabeta was far from convinced, and she turned on her heel and left the dining hall without another word. '_When I find his room only to discover that he isn't in it, they're going to be so dead.' _She thought angrily, checking every door she passed for any signs of life. One of the rooms she passed had bags laying near it's door but no body in the bed, so she hurriedly investigated the room, only to find Arthur's name on his bags. Leaving the room dejectedly, she continued down the same hallway, gradually getting more frantic as she searched the rooms she passed. The room directly across from Arthur's had more bags in it, and a bundle of purple fabric laid on top of them. Getting hopeful, Elizabeta ran into the room, checking to see that the bed was empty. The covers and blankets that the bed had been dressed with were strewn all over it's mattress, half of them covering the floor beneath the bed. She gingerly approached the bags that occupied the room, carefully lifting the purple fabric from where it sat to discover that it was the same robe Gilbert had worn the day before. Her heart began to race, and her anxiety spiked painfully as she searched the room for any sign as to where he could've gone. The only thing that was out of place in the room were the blankets on the bed, so she returned to them to investigate them a second time. She pulled every blanket from the bed, looking for signs in their folds. She wasn't sure what she hoped to find, but the second she lifted the pillow from its mattress, she found what she needed.

"Arthur! Alice!" Elizabeta screamed as she ran into the dining hall, her face frantic. The sheer volume of her voice woke Alice instantly from her sort of trance, and she gazed at the other woman blankly. "What do you want?" She growled, hugging her cup of coffee close to her chest. Elizabeta held out a small white piece of paper, pointing to it in obvious distress. Alice watched as Arthur snatched the paper from her hands, reading the few words written on it. "Let's play a game. You have until the clock chimes noon to find your precious friend. All of him. If you don't succeed, I will hunt you just as I've hunted him. I expect my game to be entertaining. Signed, Your Host." After reading the paper, Arthur looked up with an expression somewhat of a cross between confusion and anger, with the slightest hint of fear making itself present in his eyes. "What?" It was the only word Alice's mouth could form; the lump that had formed in her throat prevented her from saying anything else. "Please tell me this isn't a joke." Elizabeta had tears welling up in her wide eyes, and she shook her head just barely. "I don't think it is. We need to find him, and leave here before this psychotic "host" can do anything else. He referred to Gilbert as being "hunted!" Who knows what that means?" Her words were frantic, and Arthur nodded slowly. "I don't think this is some kind of prank. We need to find him. But why would the note say to find "all of him…?"" He said the latter sentence cautiously, glancing at the note as he spoke. "It makes no sense." He added. "Who cares? What matters right now is that we find him, and soon. We're wasting time just standing here." Alice interjected, nodding towards the clock that read 10:52. "We have just over an hour. There's no way we'll be able to search the whole Manor before noon, which means we have to split up." She pointed out, and the other two nodded resolutely. "Splitting up is the best option. I'll go upstairs." Elizabeta offered. "I'm going to stay on this level." Arthur said soon after Elizabeta had finished her sentence. "Alright, then I guess I'll take the basement. Meet back here at noon." Alice turned to leave, but stopped at Elizabeta's final comment. "Good luck, everyone."

_Author's Note: Hehehe..._


	13. Chapter 13

Arthur looked in every place he thought Gilbert might be hiding. He started with checking all of the doors in a nearby hallway, then moved on to a different one when the first revealed no sign of the man. Every room in the second hallway was empty too, and as Arthur moved from room to room, then hallway to never-ending hallway, he began to lose hope that he, or one of the girls above and below him, would ever find the red-eyed albino. It was nerve-wracking; to look into a room with the hope that he might find a man with white hair curled up in the corner of the room, chained or taped to the furniture around him, and begging silently to be let free, only to find out that the room was empty of all life. Arthur found himself get his hopes up before opening every door, and before entering every new hallway he passed, but the feeling would be crushed every time with a different one- fear. It began to cripple his actions, and as more and more time went on, his feet began to slow, his eyes started to dim, and his head hung with disbelief at the situation he found himself in. Soon enough, the clock read 11:37, and Arthur stared at it for a couple of long, painful seconds as he realized that his time was running out. That's when he heard the scream.

A deafening, blood-curdling scream tore itself from Elizabeta's throat without her telling it to. She was sure that the other two had heard it, maybe even the birds in the trees outside heard it, but she didn't care. She stood on the second floor of the Manor, staring into one of the many drawers of a desk. She had rifled through the drawers before it in search of a flashlight; she thought that Gilbert might be hiding under one of the many beds the Manor held. But all thoughts of a flashlight vanished the second she looked in the drawer. A hand flew to her mouth the moment she screamed, muffling the sound just slightly. She took a step backward, attempting to rid her eyes of the vision they couldn't seem to look away from. Another step backward, and she could still see the drawer pulled out of the desk. A third step. A fourth. At the fifth step, her ankle hit the edge of the bed that occupied the room she was in, and she screamed a second time, falling back onto the bed itself. Her eyes instantly shut tight, her throat closed, and streams of tears ran down her face. She whimpered to herself, but couldn't bring herself to utter another word.

Alice bolted from the basement up to the second floor the moment she heard Elizabeta scream. She ran towards the source of the sound, and continued to follow the soft cries she heard after the initial sound ended. Her feet led her to a random room on the second floor, and she immediately spotted Elizabeta laying on the room's bed, staring at the ceiling with wide eyes. Her mouth moved, but incoherent sounds were the only things that escaped it. "Elizabeta? What happened?" Alice asked hesitantly, but the person she gazed at gave no sign that she had even heard the question at all. Alice turned from the bed to gaze around the room, finding that a drawer from the desk that rested across the room from the bed was open. She walked towards the drawer, looked inside of it, and immediately regretted doing so. Inside the drawer sat Gilbert's severed head.

_Author's Note:__Oops._


	14. Chapter 14

Arthur arrived to the scene just as Alice looked into the open drawer of the desk the room they inhabited held, and the look on her face told him that he needed to look too. She didn't look as if she could easily look away, so he approached the drawer slowly, preparing himself for whatever he might see. But no amount of preparation would have lessened the shock he experienced as he gazed at the head. It belonged to Gilbert, that much was obvious, but the head looked foreign, like something from a nightmare, not something that was once part of something as lively as the German had been. It's eyes were still red, but the whites of the eyes had turned somewhat grey, and the irises had rolled upwards, permanently staring at the ceiling above it. The hair attached to it's head was matted beyond repair, and stuck up in random places. The tips of the white were stained maroon, just as most of the face itself was. The lips had turned a sickening shade of black, and they were parted just slightly to reveal teeth just as black as they were. It sat upright, resting on what was left of its neck, as if a hole lay in the bottom of the drawer and the rest of the body sat beneath it. But Arthur knew that wasn't the case.

Even though she wasn't looking at it anymore, the vision of the head was burned into Elizabeta's mind, and she knew it wouldn't soon leave. The thing that stuck with her the most was the sheer amount of blood that surrounded the head. The substance leaked from its eyes, poured from its mouth, and even drained from its ears. The drawer had a thick layer of the red liquid lining its bottom, making the head look as if it were swimming in the stuff. Thick drops of blood leaked through the bottom of the drawer, dripping onto the floor beneath it and forming a small puddle. The smell of iron was everywhere in the room; she couldn't escape it. Gilbert's once white hair was clumped with thick globs of blood, making whatever part of his hair that wasn't a dark maroon color pink. It hardly looked like him. She didn't want to believe that it was him. As she sunk into the bed beneath her, staring at the ceiling but being unable to see anything but what sat in the drawer, she told herself over and over again that it wasn't him. That everything she had experienced was just a dream, and that she'd wake up in her bed soon enough. She'd walk to the dining room, only to discover that everyone else, including Gilbert, was already there. They'd ask her what took her so long to wake up. Wake up. That's all she wanted to do. Just wake up.

As hard as she tried, Alice couldn't look away. Her eyes, her legs, even her hands wouldn't listen to the screams her brain fired at them to move. '_Just close your eyes! We can pretend it isn't there if you can't see it.' _The sentence ran in circles around her head, but she couldn't just forget about the head just because she couldn't see it. No matter what, she knew it was there. She felt as if she would throw up, cry, pass out, and throw up again once she woke up. She was sick to her stomach, bile rose in her throat and everything inside of her tied themselves into knots that would never fully unravel. She hadn't even liked the owner of the head, but as she gazed at it's lifeless presence, she regretted everything she had ever said to him. She wished nothing more than the fact that none of it was real, that the entire trip itself was some sort of sick fantasy. However, the sheer detail with which she examined the head told her that it was all real. As sick as it all was, it was real. And it was something she was convinced that she'd never be able to live with.

_Author's Note: I guess I should've warned you before this chapter. I'm sorry if any of you are feeling sick to your stomach, writing this was harder than I thought it would be. Yell at me in the comments if you want, I understand. But there is much more to come, so here's to hoping for a strong stomach._


	15. Chapter 15

Arthur had no idea how much time had passed, but he was sure that it was about time someone spoke up. "What the bloody hell…?" He muttered, forcefully slamming the drawer shut. "Who would do this?!" He turned to the other two, staring at them with an accusatory eye. Elizabeta looked like she wanted to cry, while Alice's face was practically green. The latter returned his look, narrowing her own eyes against his. "How would we know?" The sentence sounded like she was trying to be tough, but her shaking hands and quivering chin said otherwise. "We need to find the rest of him. There's no need to worry about what happened until then, you all know what the note said." She added, biting her lip to still it. Elizabeta shot up in the bed at this, her eyes wide. "We can't not worry, Alice! He's dead!" She said fearfully, her voice louder than Arthur had ever heard it. "Calm down. Alice is right, we need to find the rest of him. If not because of the note, then do it for the smell. He's bound to start stinking soon." He spoke to both of them, looking in each of their directions. Alice nodded, while Elizabeta produced a sound that was akin to a laugh mixed with a scoff. "Fine. We'll find him, then we'll figure out what happened." She said coldly, standing from the bed. She took a second to stare at the closed drawer, then left the room entirely. Arthur followed her out the door without another word, his feet leading immediately to his room. '_It's the first thing I need to clear; I'm not waking up to the smell of rotting flesh.' _He thought silently, frowning at the turn of events. He thought the "party" they were supposed to be having here would be a fun-filled weekend, one in which he would make fun of the guests, eat good food, and watch the dancing that was sure to commence. Never in his wildest dreams could he imagine that he'd come to a lifeless house, wake to one of the guests missing, and find the same guest's head in the drawer of a desk, thrown away as if it were junk. Everything about the situation was wrong. Arthur only wondered who did it… He arrived at his room and immediately tore it apart, searching under the couch cushions, in his own desk drawers, under his blankets and pillows, every inch of the closet, and finally, under his mattress. His eyes immediately rolled to the ceiling as he pulled the mattress off it's frame entirely, then left the room. His feet carried him to the nearest bathroom, where he pulled a towel off it's shelf. Heading back into the room, he took a deep breath before wrapping the two slender arms that hung from the bed frame into the towel. He quickly carried the bundle into the bathroom, threw it in the sink, and immediately collapsed onto the bathroom floor, violently throwing up. All air fled from his lungs, but no matter how much he breathed in, he couldn't seem to breathe properly. His heart raced, but did so unevenly, as if it were attempting to run a marathon on a broken leg. He spent hours on the bathroom floor, salty tears mixing with the acidic fluid he had spilled from his guts earlier. Arthur wasn't usually one to show strong emotions- besides hate- but the sight of Gilbert's arms, the realization that someone he had been conversing with hours before was now dead, hit him harder than he had expected. With time, he composed himself, and abandoned the arms still wrapped up in the sink. Maybe it was because of the amount he cried in the bathroom, or the puke that still swam on its floor, but Arthur felt empty. He couldn't gather his thoughts, didn't even try to speak, barely registered what he saw, and had difficulty moving. He felt numb. So numb that he failed to notice the blood soaked card that sat at the edge of his bed, the words written on it clear as day. "You're too late."

'_How could they not care? They act as if death is no big deal, like when they wake up tomorrow, he'll be back, and everything will return to the way it was. That's not going to happen! Gilbert is dead, how could they be so indifferent to that?!' _Elizabeta's mind screamed, firing insults towards Arthur and Alice at mach 10. She was more upset than she thought possible; she felt like running outside to scream as loud and for as long as her lungs would allow, while simultaneously wanting to curl up into a tight ball and fall off the face of the Earth. She wanted to cry, to shout, to punch something, and to disappear. Her mind was on overdrive, while her body felt heavy and lazy. Just one look at Gilbert's head turned her into a contradicting mess. She just wished that she could forget what she had seen, and forget the trip to the Manor entirely. She could go back to the way her life used to be, and no longer be affected by anything that had happened. She wished she had never accepted the invitation in the first place. Elizabeta wandered around the Manor as she attempted to sort out her thoughts, letting her feet lead her where they wanted to go. They circled the room holding the head time and time again, but she never got within ten feet of the door itself. The door had been closed, but she was too focused on her own thoughts to notice. After circling the room for what felt like an eternity, she led herself back to her own room, closed the door, and paced the large area. She shook her head every few minutes, trying to convince herself that the action might rid her memory of what had happened. It didn't work, but that didn't stop her from trying. She knew that she'd be traumatized for the rest of her life, and tears welled in her eyes at the thought. She hardly knew Gilbert; she had only met him the day before. But it didn't matter that she barely knew anything about him- she'd still be affected if it had been a random stranger. Just the fact that she had seen his head, had seen something so incredibly graphic, meant that she'd never recover fully. It wasn't like he was a complete stranger, either, she had spent almost the entire day with him the day before. '_Sure, it wasn't like we were lifelong friends. But I knew him. If only briefly, I knew him.' _Her brain couldn't seem to stop going, it wouldn't stop reasoning with her, seeing the worst in the situation, and then attempting to make it better. Nothing made it better, though. No matter how hard she tried, nothing worked. With a jolt, Elizabeta realized that she had been pacing her room for hours on end, and that it was almost time for dinner. She expected one of the little bells she had noticed near her door to start ringing when the time came, so she ignored the passage of time. Her legs ached from walking, and her muscles screamed at her to take a break, so she sat on the edge of her bed, blinking furiously to keep from crying. '_I can get through this.'_ Her mind told her, but nothing listened. '_I'll be okay.' _The thought left her mind almost as soon as it had entered it. '_I barely knew him.' _That wasn't anywhere near the truth. '_There's nothing I could have done about it.' _She had no idea how long his head laid in the drawer before it was found, but the puddle of blood in the bottom of it said it had been a while. But if she had heard him scream, if she had maybe checked on him earlier in the morning, then maybe the situation could've been avoided. '_Don't you dare blame yourself. It's not your fault.' _But what if it was her fault? What if his killer wasn't after him at all; they were after her, and he just got in the way? Her method of ruling spawned people who didn't agree, and her life was constantly in danger. One of those people could've been after her, but got him instead. And the note they had left… It could've just been directed to her. '_This has nothing to do with you; the note was directed to everyone! If his killer had been after you, they would've gotten you. Not him.' _No matter what her brain told her, Elizabeta wasn't convinced. She looked down towards the floor, and, for the first time, noticed the slip of paper that rested neatly on her pillow. Picking it up, she quickly read the three words written on it. "You're too late."

Alice didn't think she'd care this much over the death of a stranger. Especially someone like Gilbert; he was a loud, ugly pig who only cared about himself. She didn't want to care. She wanted to pretend as if he'd never existed in the first place. It wasn't like she was overly distraught because of the event, and she wasn't going to remember it forever. She knew that much, at least. She also wasn't about to lock herself in her room and cry for days over his death. That wasn't her. But that didn't mean she wasn't affected. As much as she hated to admit it, she felt more scared than anything. The fear that whoever killed Gilbert would come after her was so strong, she felt sick. It wasn't even his head that scared her; she had watched enough movies to dismiss it as not a big deal. The head didn't really smell yet, either, so if she tried, she could convince herself that it was fake. But that didn't take away the fact that he was, indeed, dead, and that whoever killed him didn't do so on accident. The ominous note they had found revealed that the person was probably after the other three too, and that meant that she was in danger. Her life was being threatened, and she didn't know how to handle it. She had only been Queen for less than a year, and no one that she ruled over had cared enough to want to kill her. Not yet, at least. So she was terrified that she would be killed, and that she wouldn't be able to return to her own kingdom, or her own bed. '_I need to leave. I need to find out who killed him, and I need to leave.'_ Her brain suddenly told her, and she nodded as she leaned against the wall outside of the room that sparked her fear in the first place. '_Either someone knew that all four of us were coming here, which, logically, would be the person that invited us here, or one of the other two is out to kill the other three, and is only posing as the host. Nobody else is with us here though, and none of us have any clue who the host even is in the first place.' _Alice paused her thoughts temporarily, frowning. '_Come to think of it, who invited us…?' _She racked her brain for any sort of logical answer to the question, but came up with none. She had no idea who ruled Bontump, or who owned Black Manor. She was pretty sure no one else in the Manor at the moment knew either, and she wasn't even sure that she really wanted to find out. Plus, no one had visited during the night, or at least she didn't think anyone did, which left only two options. Elizabeta or Arthur had killed Gilbert. Alice began to walk towards her room as her reasoning continued, her lips pursed as she thought. '_Elizabeta was clearly upset at seeing his head. I doubt she's going to get over that any time soon. But Arthur… He was the one who told us to calm down, and he acted the least affected of all of us. He took the situation so easily, that it was almost as if he knew it would happen…' _With wide eyes, Alice stopped in her tracks. '_It was Arthur. He killed Gilbert.' _Her resolution hardened, and she walked into her room sure of the fact that Arthur was the culprit. She had always been wary of him; at least now she had a reason to be. Arthur was a murderer. With a grim expression, she repeated the sentence over and over again in her mind, letting it run in circles in the front of her brain. It was the only thing she could think about. Arthur was a murderer. Not only was he a murderer, but he intended to go after Alice, too. Arthur was a murderer. After convincing herself fully, she looked around her room briefly, barely remembering when she had gotten there in the first place. A flash of white hanging from the canopy above her bed caught her gaze, and she walked closer to it, investigated what turned out to be a simple piece of paper. It had three words written on its front, and those three words scared Alice more than she thought was possible. "You're too late."


	16. Chapter 16

The dinner bell had rung long ago, but Arthur sat at the dining table, too nervous to touch his food. He was on edge, and couldn't think of anything but Gilbert's death. It seemed that the other two were in the same boat, but they expressed it in different ways. Alice hung her head as she picked at her food, shoving her mashed potatoes from one end of the plate to the other. She didn't say a word, and made no sound. Elizabeta, on the other hand, seemed to sob silently as she stared at anything but Arthur and Alice. Her eyes couldn't stay fixed on one thing, and every once in a while, a choked cry would escape her throat as her body heaved. Arthur sat away from the table, shifting his gaze from one girl to the other, then back again. His eyes were red, dry, and scratchy, but he didn't cry. He was starving, but the sight of his food made him want to throw up again. He sipped on his water every once in a while, and longed to break the heavy silence that lingered between the three of them, but he couldn't bring himself to open his mouth. He didn't want to seem inconsiderate, like he didn't care that Gilbert was murdered. Fortunately, Alice said something before he built up enough courage to. But what she said caught him off guard. "I know it was you." She spoke while looking directly in Arthur's eyes. Elizabeta calmed herself temporarily to listen to what the others had to say, but her eyes widened at Alice's statement, then joined her in staring at Arthur. Alice looked accusatory, while Elizabeta looked curious. "What?" Arthur asked, his voice threatening to crack on the simple syllable. "You killed him. I know you did." Alice spoke in a choppy voice, one that was hard with conviction, yet soft with regret. "What do you mean I killed him? How the bloody hell did you come up with that?" Arthur spat, suddenly angry at the sentence. How could she know anything? Arthur knew he was innocent, and what proof did she have? "You don't seem to care. It has to be one of us three who killed him, and I obviously know that I'm innocent. Elizabeta can't seem to calm the freak down, and she wouldn't have been able to take him on in the first place. Which brings us to you." Alice was so cocky, it almost made Arthur gag. "Oh, shut up. I didn't do a thing, so stop blaming me. If anything, I'd say it was you who killed him." He returned, frowning deeply. Elizabeta's eyes followed whoever spoke, and she held her bottom lip between her teeth. "Don't you dare point fingers at me." Alice warned, her eyes hardening. Arthur immediately lifted a hand to raise his pointer finger at Alice's face. "Oops."

Alice screeched once Arthur literally pointed fingers at her, and Elizabeta covered her ears. '_Shut up…' _Her mind begged, her eyes instinctively closing tightly. She didn't want to hear the two fight again, even if it were at Gilbert's expense. She'd already heard enough, and she'd only spent one day with the two. Granted, she was curious who caused Gilbert's death, but she didn't want to go through this to find out. She was already fully convinced that it was Alice's doing, which meant that Alice herself was the only one that didn't blame her. Still, she seemed completely convinced that Arthur was the one at fault, but Elizabeta knew to be wary of trusting her. She didn't trust Arthur either, and she didn't think she would trust either of them for the rest of her stay at Black Manor. With a jolt, she realized that both Arthur and Alice had their eyes on her, as if they expected her to say something. She shook her head, blinking quickly. "I'm sorry, what?" Alice groaned. "Have you even been paying attention? Who do you think killed him?" Elizabeta bit her lip. "I've mostly been paying attention… But I'd rather not say who I think it was. I don't want to start any fights." She said carefully, thinking of what she'd specifically say before she spoke. "I don't think this is an appropriate time to be a freaking peacekeeper." Alice commented harshly. "Too bad. You can't force me to place the blame on anyone, and I'm not going to, so deal with it." She said with a bit more bite than she had intended, surprised at her sudden spark of courage. Alice smirked, looking to be on the verge of laughter. "Excuse me?" She said after a moment. "Fix your freaking attitude." This time, it was Elizabeta's turn to laugh. "Coming from you? That's hilarious." She remarked with a glance in Arthur's direction. He had gone unusually quiet, but his eyes followed the conversation, a small smile playing at the edge of his lips. Alice didn't seem to find the comment as humorous as he did, though. "Shut your mouth before I shut it for you." She warned, but Elizabeta only laughed with a grin. "See? This is exactly what I'm talking about. You're the one with the attitude, not me." For once, Alice seemed to be at a loss for words as she squirmed in her seat, opening her mouth, then closing it once again. "Now quit asking me to place the blame on someone." Arthur suddenly sat up straighter, opening his mouth for the first time since their small argument had started. "I found the rest of the body."

Arthur's sudden comment caught Alice by surprise, and he acted as if finding the rest of a dead body wasn't a big deal. That only added to her suspicion of him, especially being that he was the one who had found the rest of it. "Where?" She asked, raising an eyebrow slightly. "The arms were under my mattress, the legs were wrapped in towels in the bathroom, and the torso was in the freezer." He calmly pointed to the freezer that was just ten feet away from them, acting as if he had found a TV remote. Alice gagged. "So the entire body was torn apart?" She confirmed, and Arthur nodded. "It was disgusting. The places that I found the parts were all covered in blood, and the body itself was almost unrecognizable. I'm sleeping in a different room tonight." He said, his mouth twisting in disgust. Alice scoffed in disbelief. "How did you know where to look? It's hardly been any time since we found the head." Arthur's eyes narrowed in a mixture of concern and what looked like defense. "It's been hours since we found the head. I had a hard time with it too, you know. But I got over it enough to look for the rest of him. Will you stop blaming me, especially when you have no real proof against me?" His voice started soft, then quickly hardened as he glared at Alice. '_There's no way it's been hours. There's no way…' _She thought, disregarding the rest of Arthur's statement. It felt like it had been half an hour since they had found the head, saying it was hours ago was absolutely ridiculous. There was no way. "Don't lie to me." Alice growled lightly, baring her teeth in Arthur's direction. He laughed at her action. "I'm not lying. Just because you don't like what I say, doesn't mean it isn't true." He returned, the corners of his mouth turned upwards. Alice stared at him blankly. '_It's been hours. I've been freaking out over this death for hours.' _Her mind pointed out, and she shook her head just barely. Arthur's eyes narrowed. "What don't you believe? The fact that it's been hours, or the fact that I feel bad for him?" Alice stayed silent for a moment before responding. "Honestly, both. You aren't the type to feel bad for anyone, and I can't imagine that you're actually being truthful about that. And the longest that it's been is one hour, not hours plural." She stated confidently, and Arthur laughed. "Both of your statements are false. I do feel bad, and it's been over four hours since we found him." He stated simply, and Alice's eyes went wide. "Four hours… It's been four hours?" "Over four, yes." Arthur seemed annoyed. Alice didn't pay attention to his tone of voice, though, she was too shocked that it had been so long since they had found Gilbert's head. The head that sparked all of their fear, and ignited the distrust each person had with the other. The whole ordeal was terrifying, unbelievable, and exhausting. Alice couldn't think of anything else to say- her mouth was too shocked to form any sort of words. Arthur opened his mouth after a few minutes of silence. "Poker would help to take our minds off of this, are you two in?" Elizabeta nodded immediately, while Alice did hesitatingly. "Yeah. I think we could all use a distraction right now." She said softly. Arthur grinned. "Perfect. Elizabeta, I believe it's time you dealt."

_Author's Note: Sorry for the late update. I have a feeling that updates will be a little bit later from here on out, but I will finish this story, you have my word. Just be patient, and I will update as frequently as possible._


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